Bioinformatics of Non Small Cell Lung Cancer and the Ras Proto-Oncogene

Cancer is initiated by activation of oncogenes or inactivation of tumor suppressor genes. Mutations in the K-ras proto-oncogene are responsible for 10–30% of adenocarcinomas. Clinical Findings point to a wide variety of other cancers contributing to lung cancer incidence. Such a scenario makes identification of lung cancer difficult and thus identifying its mechanisms can contribute to the society. Identifying unique conserved patterns common to contributing proto-oncogenes may further be a boon to Pharmacogenomics and pharmacoinformatics. This calls for ab initio/de novo drug discovery that in turn will require a comprehensive in silico approach of Sequence, Domain, Phylogenetic and Structural analysis of the receptors, ligand screening and optimization and detailed Docking studies.

This brief involves extensive role of the RAS subfamily that includes a set of proteins, which cause an over expression of cancer-causing genes like M-ras and initiate tumour formation in lungs. SNP Studies and Structure based drug discovery will also be undertaken.

Amita Kashyap is Principal Investigator of the DST Project on Proliferation, Expression and Mutation Studies of K-ras Protooncogene and in silico drug designing against Non Small Cell Lung Cancer at CRRAO AIMSCS, University of Hyderabad. She has vast Biotech Corporate experience and has worked with several Biotechnology Research and Services Organizations. She has wide experience of handling various corporate R&D and service based Projects related to Molecular Biology, DNA Fingerprinting and Bioinformatics. She was one of the members of the BDRC Team in 2008 when the company delivered DNA Based Evidence collection training to Andhra Pradesh Police in various DTCs and PTCs Andhra Pradesh. For her novel work on Reverse Vaccinology she received Gold Medal at Biotech 2007 at Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Lucknow. She has been in the organizing and technical team of DNA 2009 at AP Police academy, DNA 2010 at Osmania University and DNA 2011 at GSI Lucknow. Mrs Amita has delivered more than 40 invited talks at various academic organizations and organized special session on Bioinformatics at PRIB Conference at Singapore 2007.